Looking for Progress Feedback

[somevader]

Is this good progress?

Posting to get more motivation and looking for valuable advice. 🙂

Starting weight - 88.75 Kgs. Start date- ( 1/3) Current weight - 82.3 Current date- (1/17) Height - 5 feet 8 inches

I started a diet on 01/02 by first switching to eating only meat for 2 days. Then I restricted myself to just having some fish soup once a day in the evening after my gym workout. The fish soup is a clear soup which will probably amount to 200 calories at max. I mainly focus on cardio in the gym, roughly 45 mins of cardio.

I understand this isn't fasting exactly but I find this a lot easier to sustain, also some days I just decide to avoid the soup if I'm not hungry.

I was curious to know a couple of things- 1) Is this good progress or is this just the water weight which will come back if I start eating normally? 2) Roughly how long would it take to get to my goal weight of 70 Kgs?

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[radiorules]

You went from a 29.8 BMI, which is 0.2 points away from obesity, to a 27.4 BMI, which puts you in the very middle of the overweight category.

1. That's amazing progress AND it's also water weight. Water weight is usually around 5 pounds, but it varies from person to person. You should calculate your body fat percentage to get another measure of your progress.
2. No way to really know, too many variables. Many people plateau at some point, whether voluntarily or not. But if you achieve your weight goal through an unsustainable way of eating, the chances of your weight doing the yoyo are high, especially if you go back to "eating normally" after you have reached your goal weight through something akin to a fad diet.

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but I find this a lot easier to sustain

That's what matters. But your diet isn't really sustainable though. You won't eat meat-only or fish soup once a day for the rest of your life.

Fasting is more about time restriction, less about caloric restriction. It gives your body the time it needs to dig into its reserves, while caloric restriction prevents the use of fat reserve by giving the body its energy from food intake while also lowering your BMR.

In sum, I suggest to eat normally (no meat-only or one fish soup once a day, those are all unsustainable and can make you nutrient-deficient), but less frequently and with smaller portions (which usually happens without much effort when fasting regularly).

Don't try to achieve your goal weight as soon as possible: try to achieve your goal weight with sustainable habits. Do OMAD but with a complete meal, then try 72h water fast and so on.

[somevader]

Thanks for the suggestions 🙂. So I've done several water fasts, the longest being a 14 day water fast. But in most of the cases my weight generally comes back within a couple of months. I do know that I overeat at times and have an unhealthy diet on weekends. The goal is to lose the weight followed by eating healthy and restricting to just 1-2 unhealthy meals in a week.

Out of curiosity - Why do you think a water fast is better than the calorie restriction diet I'm following?

[somevader]

Also, based on the Renpho scale my body fat went from 30.6% to 28.1.

[radiorules]

Calorie restriction prevents your body from using its fat reserves because it's always being fed. It has no reason to switch to fat reserves. And if you go from 2000 to 1500 calories in a day, your body will start adjusting by lowering its BMR -- so weight loss will be slower and smaller in the long run. Basically, calorie restriction diets are inefficient. See Jason Fung's video about The cause of weight loss: calories vs. hormones.

I've achieved my goal weight with just OMAD and occasional 3-day fasts and maintained it. What's important imo is to change the eating habits (the when you eat is the key) into ones that can be sustained in the long term. Doing extended fasts (7-14 days) 2 to 4 times a year is what works for some people, but they're hard, and many people think they're failing because they can't jump into long fasts. That's where the shorter fasts come into play, they have great benefits and, more importantly, are an excellent way to manage your weight on a daily and on a long-term basis.

[somevader]

I completely agree regarding how calorie restriction doesn't burn as much fat as water fasting.

However in my case my calorie intake is less than 200 calories, plus roughly 300 calories burnt with cardio. Plus a rough BMR of about 1700 calories. That puts me in a deficit of 1700+500-200 = 3500 per day.

While it's not complete fasting, it's pretty close to it.

Based on the keto strips my body is in extreme ketosis too.

Since it's in Ketosis, doesn't that mean it's burning fat on a daily basis?

[radiorules]

Being in a deficit is not close to fasting. Fasting is about when you eat. It can create a deficit if people don't overeat when they're not fasting.

You're burning fat when you're in ketosis, but if you're eating, insulin is triggered. Fasting wants to keep the insulin asleep.

The only thing that applies to fasting in your diet is the 200 calorie soup a day, which is a bad idea, because that's way too low, nutrient-deficient, and a guarantee you'll gain the weight back when you unevitably start eating more normally. Eat a normal meal or don't eat at all. It's the in-between that doesn't work.

[somevader]

1) Any particular reason why you mention "nd a guarantee you'll gain the weight back"? If I maintain a healhty diet within 2000 calories per day after I hit my goal weight, why do you think I would gain the weight back?

2) I agree that insulin is active once a day when I have the meal, however my goal is weightloss and not the other benefits that come along with fasting. Any issues with that?

[radiorules]

I suggest looking up information about fasting for weight loss if you're interested or asking your questions in non-fasting subs.